The prestigious Ton Schouten memorial Award for WASH storytelling was announced by IRC  in 2016 to commemorate the exemplary work done by late Mr. Ton Schouten who is fondly remembered by the WASH community as a gifted communicator. Schouten, through his films, documentaries, photographs and writing, wove beautiful and engaging stories about his work, the people he met and challenges faced in the field. The award is an effort to keep his memory alive. Hence, on his birthday (2nd June) every year, the award recognises a promising young communicator telling compelling stories about some aspect of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and their effect on people.

Mayuri Bhattacharjee has bagged the award this year, 2019, and we at, CLTS Foundation Global, are extremely proud to have one of our associates winning accolades globally for a cause she is so passionate about. She has been working tirelessly to bring out the stories of the vulnerable and marginalised community who are often pushed to the corner in the mainstream WASH programmes and schemes. As a menstrual educator and trainer, Mayuri’s work primarily focuses on menstrual hygiene management and access to safe sanitation for persons with disabilities.

Recently, Mayuri has led the campaign named Dignity in Floods to highlight WASH issues in disaster-hit areas and in situations of emergency with special focus on menstrual hygiene management.  Since the launch of the campaign earlier this year, the petition for building 50 women-friendly flood shelters in Assam has received over 30,000 signatures. The petition not only demands separate toilets for women in shelter homes but also ensuring the supply of sanitary napkins, clean clothes and soap. The importance of campaign was publicly acknowledged and help was assured by the Assam Disaster Management Board. The campaign truly echoes the common sentiments of 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of ‘leaving no one behind’ and the ‘endeavour to reach the furthest behind first’.

We take this opportunity to wish her all the very best for her future collaborations!